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A Mere 12¢
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Never in my most bizarre dreams did I ever imagine I would be absolutely thrilled to make 12¢. Yes, I said twelve, measly, little, cents!
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At this point you might be justified to think "Okay Gerianne. It's official. You've completely lost every single one of your marbles! You're jumping up & down (internally at least) over 12¢! Why???"
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See, it's not the 12¢ per se that I'm excited about. Rather it's what the 12¢ represents.
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In 2002, I tried publishing my first ever Kindle. I had hopes that on Amazon I would at least earn a little bit of money, at least enough to encourage me to keep going - to keep producing other kindles. This first e-book of mine sat on Amazon for twelve years and did nothing! It made diddly squat! I got discouraged (as I often do); life happened, etc., and I didn't bother with Kindle any further.
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Yet, one of the countless things I will always be grateful for with being in the GO-3D program last year, is the community of GO-3D, and although I am now "a graduate" of the program, I feel like I have a vast amount of folks I can reach out to, to run ideas by, to ask for input and feedback from; and it's a mutual exchange. Some might call it "peer support."
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So in February of this year I tried a second Kindle, and again nothing came from doing so, Then this past summer, (yeh, we're now pretty much into fall/autumn) I had a thought...
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What if... I made ALL my e-books available for FREE, but in each one I placed banners to indicate that readers could financially contribute and support my writing and advocacy efforts. I ran my wacky idea by my GO-3D Business Coach, Mike Little, who has been immensely encouraging to me ever since he became my GO-3D Business Coach when I was accepted in the GO-3D program, in the fall of 2022. Mike's reaction was: "Gerianne, I think you're onto something with this concept. I really think it can work for you."
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For most of my life I've been talking about writing my autobiography. I laugh now, but the first time I spoke of such an undertaking I was a mere 12 year old. The person I told of my plan kind of chuckled and advised me: "Uh... Gerianne, why don't you wait and live your life a little first." Back then, I was indeed offended, but over the years I've come to realize she was right. Lately though, I've come to another realization - a much harsher one, which is, if I wait to publish my life's story as one "book", It'll likely never happen. It will just, in reality, because of my typing speed, [a whopping 10-13 wpm] almost certainly not come into being.
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With this likelihood coming into focus, I've decided to write little bits of my life in this way, and if/when I get enough bits, we'll see.
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So, if you have an aspect of my life you want to know about, email me; and just fyi, I haven't forgotten about Camilla's question. Last week I didn't get the opportunity to do a "send out", so I really want to get this one out today.
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Why Do I Call These Things "Send Outs"?
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Sometimes my readers call these things of mine "newsletters." While I understand and can appreciate why they do so, I, myself, can't quite do so.
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Because in most cases, "newsletters" should (and mostly do) come out on the same day/date each week/month, etc. They're timed, preplanned, etc. Sometimes things happen in my life very unexpectedly and often that thing, whatever it is, consumes most of my time for a lengthy period. So it has to take priority, and that's just how life rolls for me. I don't want to disappoint my readers, so I don't use the term "newsletter."
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If you visit my site regularly, you'll notice a fairly new look and some minor changes. Websites should be a creative venture. One should not let their website go stale. This does not mean you have to completely "trash & rebuild" your website, (unless you want to of course.) Just switch things up a bit. Don't be afraid to express yourself your way. Make your website reflect you, your company, your passion.
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Before signing off, I want to thank my newest Gifters. Bill Gavanta now has the distinction of becoming my very first monthly Gifter. I've known Bill for many years now - since 2012, when I attended my first Theology and Disability conference (a global conference started by Bill.) Bill is someone I respect greatly and I'm glad to call him a friend.
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I also want to thank Nancy Smyth, a member of my much beloved home church. Nancy, thank you for being a Gifter on my site, but also for being you. I'm always glad to see you and grab a minute to catch up on things.
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Recently and apparently, I've been approved for a new (at least new to me) provincial funding source for my attendants. However, I am someone who does not like to count their chickens before they've hatched and I am yet to see any funds come into my account, so in my opinion it's still not official. And while this is great news in terms of paying my attendants, there's a very quirky thing about it. From the amount they've allotted me, they deduct 100% of my CPP and OAS pensions, which kind of makes me scratch my head and ask wt*? While I have no problem being expected to contribute a percentage of my pensions, I find it very bizarre that the requirement is 100%. As I questioned my contact person, where's the incentive for ANY recipient of this program to try to improve their circumstances, or is it just assumed they never will? BUT at least I again have the piece of mind that I can pay my staff, and I say YAAAY! to that, and those who know me know that I'll keep trying and doing what I do! I just can't do otherwise!
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As Thanksgiving draws near for many of us, I thank my God and all my amazing friends & staff, who's encouragement and belief in me, keeps me strong and keeps me going. I so love you all!
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